After working on several peer edits for second creative nonfiction essay in my advanced composition class, I began thinking about the importance of getting others' opinions on my work. I often don't have a very clear perspective on my writing. Either I feel that it's amazing or that it completely sucks. Sometimes I'm just so sick of working on a specific paper that I totally give up and refuse to finish editing it. That's why I always appreciate having a pair of fresh eyes to critique what I've done.

When I read the New York Times today, I stumbled across an article titled "Aspiring Authors Get Help Online." The author, Julie Bosman, explains how the process of getting published has changed drastically with the aid of the Internet. Instead of dealing with editors and literary agents, authors can now simply post their ideas and writing samples onto a "writing community" website. Specifically, Penguin Group USA has created a new website called "Book Country" for fiction writers to share their work.

Book Country allows aspiring writers to post their work online and "receive critiques from other users, who can comment on points like character development, pacing and dialogue," Bosman says. Personally, I feel like this could go either way; it could be helpful or harmful to authors. Authors will need to use good judgment and discernment when considering suggestions about their work. Just because someone tells you to do something, doesn't mean you should necessarily do it. But on the flip side, authors could receive good advice and improve on their work.

Another benefit of this site is that authors will be able to view comment from complete strangers. Sometimes I feel like I don't get the best advice from people that I know because they're afraid of hurting my feelings. Also, they may have a personal bias. Just because it's me, my friends and family sometimes think that my work is awesome even if it's not. It's nice to get an honest review from a real reader, because honestly, that's who I write for, and that's who I want to like my work.

Going back to the website, Book Country additionally offers information about the processes of "finding an agent, marketing and promoting a book, using social media and handling digital and subsidiary rights." This summer, the site will give novice writers the opportunity to self-publish their books and order printed copies for a fee. The hope for this website is that new writers will be able to improve their work in a safe environment while also catching the interest of editors and publishers seeking new talent.

Molly Barton, the director of business development for Penguin and the president of Book Country reveals, "One of the things I remember really clearly from my early editorial experiences was this feeling of guilt. I would read submissions and not be able to help the writer because we couldn't find a place for them on the list that I was acquiring for. And I kept feeling that there was something we could do on the Internet to really help writers help each other."

To me, this sounds like a really great idea, and something that I might consider doing. It seems like a safe place put my work and receive feedback. In her article, Bosman even answered one of my main questions. What about plagiarism? "To discourage plagiarism, administrators have disabled the copy-and-past and print mechanisms on the site," she informed.

I think a website like this could really help improve my writing, and it would give me the chance to views others' work. It's nice to feel a part of a community and to know that there are struggling writers out there just like me.